Coffin-case.



LEWIS O. BROVN, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BROVVNOIL CAN COMPANY,OF SAME PLACE.

COFFlN-CASE..

' srncIrIoArIoN forming part of Letters referir No. 654,435, 'dated July24, 190e.

` Application led June 2, 1900. Serial No. 18,820. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, LEWIS O. BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Coffin-Cases; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to sheet-metal coffincases of the class shown inUnited States Letters Patent granted to me April 18, 1899, No. 623,27 3,and is designed to improve the construction shown in said patent, andmore particularly to dispense with cutting the sheet metal in formingthe marginal right-angled flanges shown in the patent referred to, andto thereby facilitate the construction of a case which shall beair-tight and water-tight.

A further object of my invention is to simplify and eheapen themanufacture ofthis 'class of cases by a construction which in theirmanufacture permits the convenient and ecolnomical use of dies andpresses. The construction hereinafter shown and described does away withheavy cumbersome joints and presents a neat and workmanlike appearance.

My case is composed of sheet metal, preferably sheet-steel, of suitablethickness and consists of vertical sides and ends and a horizontal topand bottom. These parts are on their exterior provided with ribsconsisting of outwardlyprojecting pleats, crimps, or folds formed in thesheet metal, which ribs in the top, bottom, and sides coincide with eachother and lie in the same parallel planes, thus imparting great strengthto the case. The ends are formed in the same manner and are connectedwith the sides by means of cornerpieces vertically ribbed to correspondwith the sides and ends and curved in transverse horizontal section.

A further object of my invention is to utilize the cross crimps or foldsof the sides and ends as means for interlocking and securing these partswith the corner-pieces.

Figure 1 is aV perspective view of a sheet of metal-forming a portion ofthe side or end of my case, showing three crimps or folds in successivestages of formation; Fig. 2, an edge elevation of the same finished,taken on line Fig. 1, Fig. 3, an end view of a portion of the same seenfrom the right in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a perspective View of the top of thelid of my case; Fig. 5, a perspective View of a portion of the rim ofthe same; Fig. 6, an enlarged perspective View of one of thecorner-pieces of my case, hereinafter referred to Fig. 7, a top planview of my case with a portion of the lid broken away and a portion ofthe sides and ends in horizontal section; Fig.

8, a perspective View of my case complete;

and Fig. 9 a vertical transverse sectional elevation of one ofthe sidesof my case, taken on line Fig. 7.

In the drawings, l is the top, 2 the bottom, 8 3 the sides, 4 4 theends, and 5 5 the rounded corners, of my case. Each of these parts iscomposed of a separate sheet. Across each of these sheets at arightangle to its side margins is a series of pleats, crimps, or folds6, the two thicknesses of which lie side by side, in contactwith eachother, and. project ata right angle to the plane ofthe sheet. The firststep in formingthese crimps or folds is illustrated at the left of'Fig. 1. Each of the sheets composing my case at its margin has anoutwardly-turned flanged portion 7, intersected by the crimps or folds6. This flanged portion projects from the plane of the sheet about thesame distance as the crimps or folds 6. The flange 7 at top is turnedoutwardly at a right angle, as at 8. In making the two right-angledturns 7 and 8 it becomes necessary to dispose of the ends of the crimpsor folds 6, and to do this without cutting the metal. This isaccomplished as shown in the second and third crimps or foldsillustrated in Fig. l. The cross-crimps having been formed, as shown inthe first crimp to the left in this figure, in the next step, as the tworight-angled turns are made in the margin of the sheet, the crimp orfold is The construction thus far described applies d to allof thepieces composing the top, bottom, ends, and sides. In case, however, itis desired to wire either of the margins of either of the plates, theflange 8 is made sufficiently broad to furnish metal for this purpose,and` in this case the ends of the crimps are cut off, y

as shown in Fig. l, so that when the met-al is vturned around the wire,as at 10, there will be but a single thickness of metal, thus obviatingthe difficulty which I have heretofore encountered in wiring the marginof these flanges in which the crimps or folds are entire.

The plates or sheets which form the bottom and top of my case have theirflanged portions 8 bent upon the flange 7 in a return-bend, in ,U shape,as illustrated in Fig. 5. The lower margins of the sides and ends restin this upturned U-shaped recess, (see Fig. 9,) and the threethicknesses of metal are stamped or crimped so closely together as toforma tight The top margin of the sides and ends joint. is wired, as at10, and the inverted-U -shaped recess around the margin of the top slipsover the wired portion,as shown in Fig. 9. In the recess in the flangeof the top may be placed a packing 11, and thus when the top is securedin place by clamps, rods, or otherwise the packing will form a tightjoint.

The sides and ends of the case are somewhat shorter than the length andbreadth of the top and bottom, which latter parts are rounded at theircorners,as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. The sides and ends areconnected at the corners by means of curved pieces. (Illustrated in Fig.6.) These piecesin transverse section-are formed in the are of a circleand have radially-projecting crimps 13, formed in the same manner asabove described, except that the flat :rectangular flap or fold 9a nowbecomes triangular, as at 14:, this format-ion being due to thestretching of the flanges into curvilinear form. In practice I prefer tofurnish the piece 12 with three of the radial crimps or folds 13 and toform the two outer crimps or folds of but single thicknesses. These areslipped outwardly into the space between the two thicknesses of thecrimps 6 at the ends of the side and end pieces, as seen in section atthe left of Fig. 7, these crimps being left open for that purpose. Whenthe corner-crimps are set up tight, the parts are interlocked, and theconnection between the corner pieces and the end and. side pieces heredescribed form tight joints. The

top flange of the corner-piece 12 is wired, as at 15, and the projectingends of the Wire fit into corresponding sockets in the flanges of theneighboring end and side pieces, which sockets are formed by omittingfor a short distance the wire 10.

It will be seen that thebox here described has a smooth interior andstrongly-ribbed eX- terior and that the exceso of metal at theintersection of the cross-crimps and the flanges of the parts from 1 to5, inclusive, is disposed of without cutting the metal or makingopenings in theI case. It will also be seen that the separate roundedcorners are attached and secured vwithout breaking or impairing thejoints.

It will be understood that in practice this case is heavily galvanizedinside and out and that by this means tight joints are further insured.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. In a sheet-metal case, a sheet of metal, flanges at opposite marginsof the sheet turned at a right angle to the plane of the sheet, a seriesof projecting cross crimps or folds eXa tending from flange to ange, anda triangu lar flap or fold at each end of each of said cross-crimps,lying at an angle to the crosscrimps and against the flanges.

2. In a sheet-metal case, a sheet of metal, a series of cross crimps orfolds in said sheet, a marginal flange for said sheet, which flange isformed by two right-angled bends, triangular flaps or folds in thecrossecrimps between the two marginal bends and flat rectangular flapsor folds in the cross-crimps next to the margin of the sheet.

3. In a sheet-metal case, a sheet of metal, a series of cross-crimps insaid sheet, the metal of which crimps is cut away at the mar gin of thesheet, a wire which is wrapped with the parts of the metal between thecut-away portions, a flange for said sheet ataright angle to thecross-crimps, and triangular flaps or folds in the cross-crimps at theirintersection with the flange.

4. In a sheet-metal box or case, sheets of metal composing the sides andends thereof, sheets of metal curved in horizontal section composing thecorners of the case, and projecting vertical crimps or folds in the sidepieces and end pieces interlocked with corresponding portions on saidcorner-pieces.

5. In a sheet -metal case, a corner-piece curved in transverse section,a curved flange at top and at bottom of said corner-piece having tworight-angled bends, a crimp or fold extending from flange to flange, atriangular flap in said crimp between the two bends and a triangularflap 14 in said crimp next to the margin of the piece.

6. In a sheet-metal case, a lid, lateral folds or crimps extendingbetween opposite margins of ishe lid, a flange for said iid having areturn-bend whereby a. marginal recess is formed in said lid for thereception of the top of the ease, combined With triangular flaps o1` inpresence of two Witnesses.

LEWIS O. BROWN.

5 folds at each end of each of said lcross-crimps Witnesses:

formed by the intersection of said oross- F. M. DOTSON, orimps with saidflange. L. BROWN.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature

